The Nile

The Nile River, the longest river in the world, gave Egypt its life. Every year, it flooded and left rich soil for growing food. Farmers planted wheat to make bread and barley to make beer. But sand often got into their bread, and over time it made their teeth wear down! People used honey to make food taste sweet, since sugar didn’t exist yet. Egyptians also ate fish, fruits, vegetables, and sometimes meat — but catching fish was dangerous, because crocodiles swam in the Nile! That’s why the Greek historian Herodotus once said, “Egypt is the gift of the Nile.”